It didn't come easy, but Western Kentucky recorded a second straight conference win Saturday.

Taking on Rice at E.A. Diddle Arena, the Hilltoppers had to battle from start to finish but made big plays down the stretch -- including a strong defensive stand -- to hold on for a 68-61 win to remain unbeaten in Conference USA.

WKU (9-5 overall, 2-0 C-USA) shot 24-of-59 (41 percent) from the field and 6-of-22 (27 percent) from 3-point territory. Carson Williams finished with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Camron Justice had 13 points and Josh Anderson scored 11.

The Toppers return to action Thursday on the road at Alabama-Birmingham. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

WKU was hot out of the gate and jumped out to a 9-0 lead at the 15:38 mark of the opening half and extended its advantage to 15-4 eight minutes in. The Hilltoppers were shooting 50 percent, while Rice was just 2-of-11 from the field.

Williams' basket put the Tops up 22-9, but the Owls put together a quick 9-0 run to get within 22-18 with 5:25 remaining in the half. WKU answered with four straight points by Williams to go up 26-18 and soon held a 29-23 lead at the break.

The Toppers shot 13-of-31 (42 percent) in the first half, while Rice went 8-of-24 (33 percent). Williams was up to 12 points and 6 rebounds, and Justice had scored 11 points.

Ako Adams was leading Rice with 7 points, but Robert Martin finished with 13 to lead the Owls (8-7, 0-2).

Rice assembled a 7-0 run to even the scoreboard at 32-32 early into the second half, but a Taveion Hollingsworth runner capped the run and put WKU back in front. The Owls hit 10 out of 12 shots to again tie it at 46-all, but Jordan Rawls knocked down a 3-pointer -- and then completed a three-point play -- to put the Toppers up 52-46 at the 10:43 mark.

Chris Mullins' 3, followed by a tough bucket from Zach Crisler, cut Rice's deficit to 54-53 before Williams made a pair of free throws to give WKU a 56-53 lead with 7:49 remaining.

An and-one from Drew Peterson helped the Owls even things at 58-all, but Williams' 20th point of the contest put WKU back in front at 60-58 with 2:25 left. Another basket by Williams made it a four-point affair -- and the Hilltoppers were able to hold on from there.